


5 Times Gellert Wanted A Hug (And 1 Time He Got It)

by vaderina



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, M/M, Mention of Dumbledore/Grindelwald, Squint or you'll miss it Graves/Grindelwald
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 03:12:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13515459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaderina/pseuds/vaderina
Summary: All Gellert ever wanted was a hug.





	5 Times Gellert Wanted A Hug (And 1 Time He Got It)

I.

One of the earliest memories Gellert had wasn’t an exceptionally fond one, he can’t have been more than 2, maybe 3 at the time. He remembered the cot with its bars holding him in safe, little chubby legs too short and weak to do much other than stand, clinging to the rails and waiting. He doesn’t know how long he’d waited for but he knows it was already dark by the time he heard to key in the door.

“Mutti! Mutti!” he’d chanted excitedly and bounced in enthusiasm. Whenever she came home it meant food, his cot being tidied and maybe even a cherished moment of being held. His mummy smelt funny, of acrid cigarette smoke and hard liqueur as she stumbled by.

“Mutti!” Gellert had squealed, arms reaching and ready to be swept up for a cuddle.

“Oh stop whining you brat. Go to sleep.” His mummy walked past the cot and pushed his shoulder, Gellert fell back onto his backside, nappy squishing funny under him.

 

II.

School wasn’t an easy time. There were subjects he’d excelled at, probably even outdone his teachers in. But some, like arithmancy, just didn’t come naturally to him. Gellert had failed yet another essay and he stared teary eyed at the large T on the top of his parchment. As much as he tried to wipe the tears away they kept coming and he wanted to burrow down in his bed, hide under the blankets until everything disappeared into the void. Sadly though, he was in the common room, his fellow students surrounding him in little huddles. With a tinge of jealousy Gellert watched as a girl so easily looped her arms round her friend in quiet comfort. Gellert had friends, though they may be more admirers of his intellect and leadership than friends but perhaps they’d offer the same comfort. After a moment Gellert saw someone who spent quite a lot of lunchtimes at his table, listening to his every word.

“Hi,” Gellert started with his parchment clutched in his hand, “how did you do?”

“I got my A so I’m happy. You?” Gellert timidly held up his now crumpled parchment and his lip wobbled in unhappiness. He didn’t expect the guffaw of laughter.

“Troll? You? Seems like you aren’t as infallible as you had us all believe! Wait until I tell everyone else!” The other boy turned away, chuckling about Trolls and teachers’ pets while Gellert stayed rooted to the spot, fighting back his tears.

 

III.

Their relationship was a turbulent affair. Albus admired his intellect and sometimes seemed to appreciate his body too. It had taken a lot of time for Gellert to feel comfortable enough to give up enough control to let the other man in. Still, it had happened and it was one of the rare moments of post-coital bliss where they were both on their backs. There were enough romance novels out there that even Gellert knew that it was acceptable to maybe cuddle up after such an activity so he shored up his courage and rolled onto his side. Newt to him Albus glanced at him with amusement.

“What do you think you’re up to?”

“I thought, perhaps, after sex you might-” It wasn’t often Gellert was lost for words but in this instance they failed him.

“Go on, don’t let me keep you from your world domination plans. Your garters were under the bed last I saw them.” Albus pushed him away gently and sat up on the edge of the bed to search for his own clothes.

“Couldn’t we cuddle? Just for a minute?” Gellert blurted out and the laugh he got in return hurt.

“Whatever for? That won’t help with the muggle issues.”

 

IV.

Sometimes Gellert really questioned what his followers were thinking. As their leader it fell to him to implement new ideas and rules so he’d been doing just that. Except the idiots kept interrupting him and he was at breaking point. All he’d wanted to do was float the idea of building comradery within his ranks through physical contact. Nobody had to know that the real reason for that was he wanted a hug. Just a moment’s respite in someone’s arms where it felt like all the worries of the world would melt away.

“Final idea, I think we should-” he sat at the head of the table.

“Take over the world!” Some enthusiastic idiot piped up.

“No,” Gellert sighed, “we should-”

“Exert dominance over non-wizards!” Another overzealous fool supplied. Gellert rolled his eyes.

“No,-”

“Torture some muggles!” Gellert rolled his eyes and propped his elbow on the table in despair.

“Fine,” the fight had gone out of him completely, “go torture some muggles. Dismissed.”

 

V.

There was nothing left to lose. He’d been discovered, restrained and was on his knees in City Hall with the whole auror department facing him down and Gellert didn’t even have his wand anymore. He’d felt for Credence, the poor touch starved boy had really not deserved that fate. When he’d obtained the Obscurial he’d wanted to see if the boy would want to stay on as a guardian for her but alas his temper had gotten the better of him. Gellert had said things he shouldn’t have and he’d lost not only the Obscurial but everything else. In his misery all he’d wanted was a hug. So when Seraphina had towered over his kneeling form, Gellert couldn’t resist.

“Do you think you can hold me?” he’d asked on a whim. What he didn’t expect was for Seraphina to twist his question into some cocky rhetoric that she felt the need to smack down.

 

+1.

His cell wasn’t overly comfortable. It wasn’t the worst of places he’d been to. Every time he was moved he was strapped down, spelled silent and still. Once he asked whether he could just maybe have his arms free because he felt more secure when he could wrap them around his torso. Since then the attendants laughed as they put him in the straightjacket, mocked him for being the only one brave enough to hug the infamous dark wizard. Gellert was beyond caring by then, plus in a way they were right. The straightjacket did keep his arms around him in a way that felt like a hug. If he closed his eyes it was almost nice.

There were uneven footsteps stomping down the corridor towards his cell. Gellert perked up a little, he never had visitors. The attendants were immediately standing to attention, the straightjacket floating in front of them and ready to be put on him.

“Leave that.” The voice sounded eerily familiar. It was a voice he himself had used for a short while. “You may leave.”

Graves came into view and the attendants eyed him wearily but a glare form the man sent them scattering. When it was just the two of them Graves turned to look at him in silence for a minute.

“I heard they weren’t being terribly kind to you.” Grave finally broke the quiet. Gellert shrugged.

“They feel comfortable mocking someone helpless with taunts of what they can’t have.” It wasn’t a lie, Gellert didn’t make a habit of that no matter how uncomfortable the truth. Opposite him Graves watched him with a pondering stare then he huffed out a half amused little laugh and shook his head. The door to Gellert’s cell opened and the man approached. Not knowing what was going on, Gellert backed away. He was defenceless, the attendants weren’t there to protect him. He was utterly at the mercy of a man he abducted and mistreated. Graves loomed over him, arms out. They wrapped around him, pulled him in and Gellert stood stiff in confusion. When the hand started circling up and down his back in a soothing motion he finally relaxed a fraction. The gentle rumble in his ear helped ease him a little more.

“It’s okay. I forgive you.”


End file.
